The Travis County District Attorney's white collar crime unit is currently investigating an attempted bribery accusation made by a local political action committee against a member of the mayor's office.
An assistant to the mayor allegedly offered a $200 bribe to an anti-toll road petitioner, according to the People for Efficient Transportation Political Action Committee. PETPAC held a press conference Monday, stating Mayor Will Wynn's executive assistant Matt Curtis approached volunteer petitioner Jimmy Gardner Friday and offered money in exchange for the mayor and city council recalling petitions Gardner had gathered.
"Matt Curtis is a good person and a great employee," Wynn's chief of staff Richard Arellano said in a statement. "These allegations are completely unfounded. I am confident that the facts will reveal this situation as just another attempt to gain publicity."
Curtis could not be reached for comment.
PETPAC's founder Sal Costello said they had filed a complaint Monday morning with the Travis County District Attorney's Public Integrity Unit.
"Attempted bribery is an issue," Costello said. "We're going to take this very seriously."
Beverly Matthews, with the district attorney's office, said the matter had been transferred to the general local division of the district attorney's office. The city's public information officer specialist, Rebecca Giello, said their office had not received any information about a complaint, but that a form from the city clerk's office has been requested.
Gardner said a 6-foot-5-inch man weighing around 350 pounds allegedly approached him outside of BookPeople on Lamar Boulevard and Sixth Street Friday afternoon and talked with him for 30 to 40 minutes. He said the man repeatedly interrupted his soliciting for petitions by accusing Gardner of misinforming the public about the toll road plan. After disagreeing about whether or not northern MoPac Boulevard was a part of the toll plan, Gardner said the man allegedly called a member of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization on his cell phone to further prove his point.
Gardner said the man first offered to bet him $200 that the northern part of MoPac was not part of the toll plan and then changed his offer to give him the money for the petitions.
"I'm not for sale," Gardner reportedly told the man. Gardner, who is unemployed, said he was "trying to put a stop on the corruption in this town."
According to Gardner, the man allegedly identified himself as "Mack" and asked Gardner if he had considered that if the mayor lost his job, his staff would as well. When Gardner asked "Mack" if he worked for the mayor, Gardner said he replied that he had a friend who did.
Gardner said after "Mack" left, he was approached by Austin American-Statesman reporter Sarah Coppola, who asked Gardner about the incident. Coppola said she had been alerted to the exchange in front of BookPeople by another Statesman staffer, who identified Curtis. Coppola told Gardner the man was the mayor's executive assistant.
PETPAC founder Costello said Gardner received three or four signatures from people while he and Curtis had been talking. He said if necessary, he would give the district attorney's office those potential witnesses' information.
PETPAC has been gathering signatures to recall the mayor and city Councilmen Brewster McCracken and Danny Thomas for the past six months, according to petition drive organizer Linda Curtis, not related to Matt Curtis.
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